Reach
by spacEnigma83
Summary: Snow is lost now, lost in a world of pain and regret because of her choice to take a life for a life by using that candle killing Cora and saving Rumple. Her family misses her but they can't seem to reach her in the current state she is in. This is a scene I'd love to see but the way the show goes I don't think it'll ever come to pass so here it is in print.
1. Chapter 1

****I anticipate some heavy stuff in the next few episodes but that's what makes the show so great, the ups and downs.**

**I've been working on an art project depicting quite a bit of depression and sorrow, and because I was already in that mindset I was able to write a little something here.**

**I'm still thrown off by how we keep switching back and forth between fairy tale character and cursed town names so I'm sorry if I mess that part up for you. **

**I don't anticipate this being more than a one-shot/short story but here it is. ****

**Reach**

Emma made her way down the sidewalk in front of the old apartment. Henry followed far behind her, which hurt to say the least, but she had other things to worry about at the moment.

After Cora had sent her and Neal away in that puff of magical smoke, so that she could attempt to kill Mr. Gold, Emma had been left completely out of the information loop. She managed to go back to the scene where the battle had begun only to find Gold alone in the back room of his shop. He explained that Cora had been defeated but did not specifically say how or by whose hand. It wasn't until she met David and Mary Margaret later that David explained what had happened and that it was in fact Mary Margaret, Snow White herself, who had defeated Cora the Queen of Hearts.

That was all anyone really explained to her but it was all she needed to know to understand how Mary Margaret was reacting to that situation.

For the most part Mary Margaret had remained in a state of shock and depression. As Snow White she had been known as the fairest of them all. She had the purest of souls and now it was stained with that touch of darkness for it was by her hand that Cora's life was switched for that of Rumpelstiltskin's. This was something she was not ever going to get over and so she remained silent, closed off to the world, and did little to interact with her family.

Emma makes her way to the porch of the apartment building and takes a seat on the step next to David. "How is she today?" She quietly asks.

"As good as can be expected I guess… she ate a little breakfast but hasn't said a word. How's Henry?"

Emma sighs as they both watch the boy in question make his way to stand at the end of the sidewalk where they could see him. "He still hates me." She says as she meets eyes with Henry, instantly knowing by his body language that he is not going to come any closer. She turns to ask, "Can you keep an eye on him? I want to go in and see her."

"Sure…" He says with a nod "Good luck." He offers as he watches her get up from the step and walk in to the building.

She makes her way down the hallway. There were so many things she wanted to say. She wanted to console the woman, tell her how she did the right thing even if it truly felt like the wrong thing. She wanted to tell her that it didn't matter what anyone else thought of her because she defeated Cora to protect her family, but these were things that she could easily say to Mary Margaret. The question now was would this be any consolation for Snow White? She didn't know what to say to her own mother and with this thought in mind she stops short of turning the doorknob of the apartment door.

She pulls her hand away from that doorknob and stares at the door instead. "What do I even say to her?" She whispers. She begins to pace down the hallway and then back to the apartment door trying to get her thoughts together.

There had been a time when she had spent the evening in Mary Margaret's bedroom. It was the night David Nolan had broken her heart. She had walked in that evening to find her roommate hugging a pillow quietly crying. Emma remembered feeling helpless then much like she feels now. She was at a loss because she wanted to console someone she cared about who needed to be consoled but she had no real experience in doing so. Back then all she needed to do was simply be there while her friend silently cried in the bed next to her and that seemed to be enough, but again this wasn't just Mary Margaret. She was also Snow White.

Emma sighs clearly frustrated with herself. She didn't have time to waste planning things out. She needed to take action and so she would do what she did best and wing it. She turns the knob of that door and finally makes her way into the apartment heading straight to Mary Margaret's bedroom. She doesn't say anything she simply looks the woman over.

Mary Margaret is facing away from her, sitting up in the left side of the bed with her legs folded, a pillow in her lap. She stares out the window and does not acknowledge the fact that Emma is in the room perhaps because she is simply too lost in thought to really care.

Emma takes a moment to gauge the stance of the woman before she makes her way to the opposite side of the bed so that she can sit down and take a good look at Mary Margaret's face. As she sits she keeps her eyes trained on the woman and finds that she is not disturbed by this. She continues to stare out the window not even bothering to flinch.

Emma looks down at where Mary Margaret's hands are resting flat on the pillow. She reaches out with one hand and tucks it in to one of those hands. Still the brunette does not acknowledge her so she squeezes that hand in an attempt to get her attention which she only fails to do.

She gives the woman another look over, taking in the expressionless face. It's probably one of the scariest things she's seen in the past year, someone once full of hope now dead to the world in mind and spirit.

She takes in a deep breath before she moves a little closer to the woman. She pulls her hand out of the brunette's and instead tucks her hands under the arms of the somewhat catatonic woman and pulls her body to her in an uneasy embrace. Still the woman does not react.

Emma can't help but shed a few tears feeling a little defeated at the moment. It hurt her. It hurt to know that someone she loved so dearly was in this much pain. The woman had shut herself down. She was lost in her own thoughts. She needed to be reached somehow.

"I…"Emma struggles to say. "I know you're in there Mary Margaret." The tears flow a bit more freely. "Snow…"She says with a hiccup. "Mom…" she whispers. "Please just come back to us. We need you here." She says in a desperate tone. "I… need you."

After a moment she feels two hands pressing up against her back, a nose slightly nuzzling her hair, and a faint squeeze of her body. She smiles as she cries in to the shoulder of the woman she clings to. Though the woman remains silent the only thing that matters today is that she has been reached.

****Anyway, not one of my best but there it is. Take from it what you will. ;)****


	2. Chapter 2

****Okay, I took a review into suggestion for this. Well I mean lots of reviews helped to push me along but one in particular requested this in Snow's point of view and since I really had no idea where to take this that is what I did so thank you "ShinyGorram" ;) Doesn't hurt to try so let's see if I did this right shall we? **

**Oh and I know I didn't quote the first line correctly but I didn't have time to look up what Queen Eva said so… oh well. :)****

**Chapter 2**

_"So long as there is goodness in your heart, I will always be with you…" _Those were the last words my mother said to me. Those were the words that guided me through life. It was almost as if it was her last wish for me… and have I done with that wish? In an instant I threw it all away.

The sun is shining in through the bedroom window. The warmth, the glow, the heat that radiates right through touches the skin on my body as I lay in bed. I don't deserve that warmth. Warmth of any kind is nothing of what I deserve right now. I… I tricked Regina into killing her own mother. The thought of it makes me shudder and rightfully so. What I did was both cruel and heartless. Cold and darkness… that's what I should be feeling. That is what I deserve.

After everything we have been through and the curse that she cast… this is just one more reason for her to come after me. She was clinging to her mother like… like it was her last chance to feel anything good in that moment and it was because of me she lost that. She… I made that choice. I made the choice to take her mother from her to save Rumpel. I had no right to make last judgment on anyone.

"Snow…" I can see David standing in the kitchen as he calls out to me but I can't even allow myself to look him in the eye. He must be so ashamed of me. How can he bear to be in the same room as me after what I have done? I… "Mary Margaret…" He calls to me once more as he makes his way closer.

I do not reply with words and I cannot sit closer without anticipating his touch. I don't deserve to be comforted right now. I do not want him to try to make me feel better about this. I see him reach out to me and I flinch. The idea of him touching me makes me fear that the touch will burn. "You don't have to talk to me if you don't want to… but I think you need to eat something. I made you some breakfast."

I do all that I can to avoid looking him in the eye. I know if I meet those eyes they will be filled with some sort of sickened pity. I know I will just fall apart the moment I see that and I do not deserve to cry over this. That sort of emotional release is just something I cannot allow for myself. I don't deserve to feel better about this. I knowingly took the life of another. I chose to do that. I made a mistake but death is finite and there is nothing I can do to take that back.

He is sitting across from me at the kitchen table. I do not have to look up to know that he is watching me. I do not have to look up to know that he is probably frowning or expressing some sort of discomfort at being with me now. He probably hates the fact that he has to be the one to try and take care of me. I don't deserve it. I don't deserve to be taken care of like I am the victim. I have dealt out a death sentence. I do not deserve care.

I push the plate of food away unable to stomach what I have already eaten. It is too much to take in. There is too much warmth in the room, that warmth I still do not deserve. He doesn't say anything to me as I stand and make my way back to the bedroom which gives me some solace as I do not want to talk about this. I do not want to give him the chance to talk me into feeling better about all of this.

The sun has shifted away from the middle of the bed, closer to the window, which tells me that I had spent a lot of time in the kitchen just then. The room is a bit colder and that ray of light is just out of reach so long as I sit up here in the bed. It's what I deserve. This is what I wanted. I wanted to be cold. Why did I not buy window blinds? At least then I could shut out the remnants of that warmth outside. All I can do now is watch and wait for that last bit of sunshine to move away and I will put my head on that pillow and shut my eyes.

I look again and see that the sun is now on the pillow I had been sleeping on. I grab it and put it in my lap. I do not want to lay back down later when the sun has moved out of reach and allow that lingering warmth to sooth me.

So I sit here and continue to wait. I will wait for that last bit of sun to move on and then I will spend the rest of my time in cold and shadow until the sun sets and I am finally enveloped in darkness. That is what I truly deserve.

As I watch for a moment longer I feel something close to me. It is a whisper of a touch on my hand but I do not look down to find the source. The sun is just out of reach and I can only keep focused on that last bit of light near the window ledge. It is just not far enough for me to be satisfied.

I feel a tightness of my body but again I pay no mind. The sun will be gone soon and then I can sleep.

I hear a woman's voice in my ear. "I know you're in there Mary Margaret." I do not instantly recognize the voice. "Snow…" I hear again as I start to focus on it. "Mom…" I hear. Mom? Did I hear that correctly?

I become more aware that someone is with me. I feel a body clinging to mine almost desperately and then I hear, "Please just come back to us. We need you here." The tone is desperate. "I… need you." The last part is a whisper and I feel tears on my neck and I realize now it is Emma that clings to me, crying into my shoulder. How did this happen? How did I not notice this? How was she able to reach me?

I remind myself again that she is crying and this is something I have rarely seen her do. She isn't here to comfort me. She is here now because she needs me and so I shift my focus on her. I run my arms up her back. I nuzzle my nose into her hair and I hug her with as much force as I can muster at the moment.

I still cannot find the strength to speak but I do my best to reach her.

****Hmmm… strange how I did that. This was a new turn of events even for me. **

**Well… that was my attempt at a Second Chapter. Did that work for you all? I would love to know. **

**By the way harponcall, I appreciated your thorough review. I will need some time and possibly a few suggestions to make that happen so… we shall see. ;) **

**Thank you for reading ****


	3. Chapter 3

****I was holding my breath a lot during the last episode 'Welcome to Storybrooke'. Maybe holding out on hope for something like inspiration... but here is another chapter that might eventually lead us in to that episode. ****

**Chapter 3**

Eventually Emma's tears subside and the two women sit quietly together at the foot of the bed. Snow remained unnervingly silent while holding Emma close literally being the shoulder she could lean on should she break down again.

Not willing to allow herself to break down again it was Emma who finally broke the silence to timidly ask, "Are... you okay?"

She is silent for a very long moment before she finally whispers a reply, "I am so far from being okay right now." She frowns and starts to move her body so that Emma has to lean out of her way.

Emma can only watch as the woman slowly makes her way to lie down properly on the bed building up her defenses once again as she faces away from her.

Emma sighs sadly wishing she had thought of something more appropriate to ask but the silence was getting to be a bit too much for her. She couldn't help but ask. This time she would avoid that question. "Did I tell you that Henry hates me?" She says this quietly hoping the change of subject will get the woman to open up.

It is just another failed attempt. Mary Margaret remained silent. Silence as it seems was a very good weapon when fighting of feelings and confrontation.

Emma moves to sit down closer to where the brunette lay down. She leans over her to try and determine her mood. Clearly she did not want to talk right now. If that's the case then she was most certainly going to listen. "Look, I'm not going to tell you that what you did was right. I am going to tell you that you did it for the right reasons. I know... I know..." She shakes her head at this, "This does not justify the means or the motive but clearly you did this for family... for all of us. If it had been me I would have done the same. Whatever it took to keep us safe I would have done in a heartbeat. In all honesty I would have done it to spare you the pain you're feeling right now." She frowns and again leans over to try and read the woman's expression. It was still blank with her eyes staring at the wall of the bedroom.

Emma sighs and puts her hands over her face frustrated. "Alright." She says aloud as she relents and gets up from the bed. She walks toward the living room but gives a quick glance over her shoulder. As quick as she had appeared Mary Margaret was lost in her thoughts once again.

Emma stares at the woman a good few minutes before finally making her way out of the apartment. Since it was now late in the evening the sun would be setting soon.

She makes her way to sit back on the porch watching David and Henry crossing the street towards her. "Where did you guys go?" Emma asks looking at Henry but the boy does not answer her and simply makes his way past to walk in to the apartment building. "Okay..." She drawls out as he is clearly not talking to her.

"We just went for a walk around the block. He was telling me about Neil and all the things he saw back in Manhattan." David offers as he gets closer.

Emma rolls her eyes. "At least he's talking to you." She rests her elbows on her legs and holds her head up in her hands.

"So how did it go in there? Did she say anything?" David asks taking a seat next to her on the stoop.

"Only that she is far from being okay. I feel stupid for even asking her how she was."

"That's more than she's said to me." He sighs and frowns sadly. "This is eating away at her. I just wish... I wish she would have come to me."

Emma sits up. "Yeah..." she whispers. "Whatever we do now we have to make sure she is safe. Regina... Well... you know her. She's not going to stop trying to hurt her."

David only nods his head in consent. "You know? I'm glad..." he pauses trying to find the right words. "I'm glad we're together. I don't think I could deal with any of this by myself. She needs all of us to get through this so... I'm just glad you stuck around even after everything. No one would have blamed you for staying away. Honestly I didn't think you and Henry were coming back from Manhattan."

"Why would you think that?" Emma asks as she looks at him directly.

"... because of how this all played out for you. Tell me you haven't thought about running away from all this. You've been on the go all your life and that's all because of a curse that separated us. You have been out there in the world struggling."

"You think after everything I'd just leave?" She smiles though the pain is evident in the way her voice breaks. "I want to be here. The moment I got that knock on my door and the boy who I gave up ten years earlier was asking me to come home with him things changed. I mean yeah I wanted to run the first few days I got here but Mary Margaret talked me out of it and if she hadn't have done that I would not have stuck around long enough to learn that she was my mother and you were my father. So no matter what happens to me, no matter what I go through around here, I'm not leaving. We're family and that is something I haven't had for a very long time. I'm not about to run away from _that_."

David clears his throat and wipes away a tear that had escaped him. He smiles sadly and takes her hand to squeeze it. "I'm sorry."

"That's alright." She says smiling as she keeps a good hold of his hand. "... but you're right she needs all of us to get through this."

"... and you need us to get through this thing with Henry." He adds as an afterthought.

"Yeah, but I can deal with him hating me for now. I mean what kid doesn't get upset with their parents right?" She says with a pained smile.

"I can attest to that. You were pretty angry with us when the curse broke." He lets out a low chuckle at this.

"Yeah yeah... make me out to be the disgruntled child here." She laughs as well but soon gets serious. "I got over it. What we need now is to get her back. We have to get through to her. She can't go on this way."

"No. She can't." He says with a firm nod. They sit for a few minutes in a more comfortable silence before he says. "Well... it's been a long day. I think we should call it a night." He gets up and offers her a hand up. "I'll take the couch. I don't think she wants me in there with her."

"Do you think maybe I can take the couch and you can stay with Henry?" When he gives her a questioning look she adds. "I don't think either of us appreciates the silent treatment."

He lets out a breathy laugh and nods. "No. I guess not. Alright then the couch is all yours."

****I had issues with this chapter but I really wanted to try to continue because of all the nice reviews you all gave. I just don't know how I feel about it so I'm going to add the next chapter very soon to try and... fix this. :)**

**I'm thinking it felt too much like "filler" ****


	4. Chapter 4

****The timeline is still before anything we saw in 'Welcome to Storybrooke'. ****

**Chapter 4**

Apparently Henry did not waste any time in getting to bed because he was not in the kitchen or the living room when Emma and David walked back in to the apartment together.

Emma made her way upstairs to check in on Henry who was lying wide awake in the bed. He did not acknowledge her so she simply gathered her things so that she could head back downstairs and give him the space he was obviously wanting.

David similarly made his way to look in on Mary Margaret. She appeared to be feigning sleep so he moved to retrieve his pajamas from the dresser and make his way out to the bathroom to change and get ready for bed. He checks in on her one last time as Emma comes down the stairs with her own pajamas in hand. "Goodnight Emma." He whispers quietly.

"Goodnight." She whispers back with a sad smile. When she is finally ready to settle in for the night she lays down in the couch. She turns her head to glance in the general direction of Mary Margaret's bedroom.

She wondered if maybe she should try again to speak to her tonight but thought better of it. A good night's rest might do everyone a favor. She sighs and shuts her eyes trying to let the pain of the day leave her but before sleep can claim her she hears something that almost instantly breaks her heart.

She hears Mary Margaret crying and though the woman is trying to do so quietly in the stillness of the night Emma can hear it clearly.

She sits up and cannot help but get to her feet unable to stop herself from moving across the apartment. Her eyes burn with unshed tears at hearing the woman break down like this. She had heard her cry before so this was not new but it did not make it any easier to listen to.

The light from a lamppost outside is shining in through the bedroom window giving off enough light for Emma to see that Mary Margaret has a hand to her forehead shielding her eyes as she continues to quietly cry to herself.

Emma stands there stunned. She didn't know what to do. Should she call out to her and let her know she was standing here or simply rush to her side and try to console her. Then the thought occurred to her that she had never done that sort of thing before. Mary Margaret had always been the one doing the comforting. Even earlier when she broke down the woman held her close when it had been Emma's intention to try and do that for _her_. She hadn't meant to fall apart that way but she couldn't help it then. Things just kept piling up by the hour. Who knew that seeing Mary Margaret in her current state would be the thing to break her?

Emma decides then to walk around to the other side of the bed and lay down. She doesn't say anything but the instant she puts her knee to the bed she hears Mary Margaret gasp and try to quiet down. She sniffles and straightens out a bit from the curled state she had been in.

"You can cry... it's... okay." Emma whispers in a stutter as she reaches out to fluff the pillow and rest her head in it keeping her gaze set on the back of the woman's head. "I just... I'm not going to leave you so... don't ask me to." Emma rushes to say then shakes her head feeling silly for saying it because obviously the woman is not going to speak to her but what happens next is just as surprising.

Mary Margaret slowly rolls over inching her way closer. She tucks her hands under Emma's arms and wraps them around her body. Then she rests her head on her shoulder. She isn't crying anymore she only sniffles a bit as she snuggles in to her.

Emma on the other hand was completely taken aback by this. As all of this unfolded before her she held up her arms as if she were being patted down by airport security. She was not used to having anyone other than Henry cling to her in this way. As she feels Mary Margaret relax she finally wraps her arms around the woman and presses her own cheek to the top of her head smiling to herself.

If the silence was to remain deafening at least it would be bearable in this way. Emma could only hope for things to get better with time. Too much was going on in her life and the sooner she is able to reach this woman the better things would be for everyone.

Whatever lay in store it was going to take a lot of fight and will power. If Emma had somehow managed to inherit her stubbornness and defensiveness from her mother this was going to be rough on everyone.

**** Way too short. I know... sorry. It just felt like it needed to end there. Otherwise I'd throw in some sort of conversation that would ruin everything. ha ha!**

**Thanks again for reading and reviewing.****


	5. Chapter 5

**** Since the whole Snow's P.O.V. worked out better than I had expected in Chapter two (because honestly I have never been a fan of those types of stories either) I decided to give it another go here. I mean… maybe you might be curious as to what was running through "Snow/Mary Margaret's" mind through those last two chapters. I know I was. :) So here we go… ****

**Chapter 5**

Emma seems to have stopped crying and I am happy that I can be of some comfort to her. The moments I get to be her mother are very few and far between but she's here with me now and I am so grateful for this chance to hold her and let her know that I am here for her. Grateful that is until I hear her ask, "Are… you okay?"

Suddenly the focus has been shifted back on me. I can tell by the tone in her voice that she was afraid to ask me this. She's afraid that I'll shut her out but if she's going to try again to make me feel better… I can't let her in. I don't deserve to feel better.

"I am so far from being okay right now." Now I feel angry… angry that I allowed her to get this close to me. Angry that I let my guard down and then I remember that I had been waiting for the sun to go down to be alone in the darkness I was so craving earlier in the day and now that it is dark I should lay down and let that darkness sweep over me. It is likely to take over my very soul. So be it. It's what I deserve.

Emma does not leave though. I can feel her making her way closer to me. She's trying to get me to open up but I can't. She has already broken through once and I cannot let her be the one to heal me.

"Did I tell you that Henry hates me?" She asks though she doesn't seem to sound too hurt by that. It's more of a statement. She is trying to change the subject and get me to react. I can't let her in again. I have to stay strong but she's pressing on taking advantage of the fact that I am choosing not to speak to her.

"Look, I'm not going to tell you that what you did was right. I am going to tell you that you did it for the right reasons. I know... I know..." She's doing her best I'll give her that much, "This does not justify the means or the motive but clearly you did this for family... for all of us. If it had been me I would have done the same. Whatever it took to keep us safe I would have done in a heartbeat. In all honesty I would have done it to spare you the pain you're feeling right now." I can't let myself cry. I can't let myself feel better. She's… She's pushing me hard. I can feel my eyes burning. I can't cry. I can't…

"Alright." She relents for the moment and I feel a little relieved. I hear her get up and walk away and when the apartment door shuts I let out the breath I had been holding in. I know she is not going to give up completely. She is so much like her father in that respect.

Finally alone in my well-deserved darkness I do my best to clear my mind. How did I let Rumple easily sway me from my path of goodness? Oh I remember now… he used the magic word _family_. He used little Henry against me but I was given a choice and I willingly made it. I thought that getting rid of Cora would be the right thing to do but… I never expected to so easily manipulate Regina into doing it for me.

Somehow, someway, I was able to find a way to lie to her. I became this person who had no qualms when it came to manipulation. That it came so easily does this mean it has always been a part of me? Have I always been this awful ugly person just waiting to come out and show my true self? It makes perfect sense. If it hadn't have been for my mother I probably would have grown up to be a spoiled rotten royal. Who is to say that I haven't always been that kind of person deep down? Perhaps I fooled myself into thinking that I was the good guy here. What have I always done? I've done nothing but hurt the people that I love.

I could not save my mother from death. I'm sure my father was murdered right under my nose. Charming was always struggling to find and save me nearly risking his life dozens of times and Emma… Emma has thrown herself in to harm's way to protect me as well.

A spoiled rotten royal indeed… so then it makes sense now. It makes sense that I was able to so easily put on the guise of goodness to sway Regina's thoughts. I was able to convince her through my feigned goodness that she needed to give her mother her now cursed heart back so that she could know what it was like to have love from her mother, something she so craved, and with that I crushed what little goodness might have been left in her.

I became the person I hated the most. I became… _her_… in an instant. For all that she has done to me I just returned the favor tenfold. Her issue has always been that I ruined her life. Well I just validated that point for her didn't I? I really have ruined her life. I do not deserve to live.

I do not deserve to have a chance at life when I have so easily manipulated a murder. I feel it coming, bubbling up inside me, the pain in my throat but I cannot release these tears. I cannot let myself cry.

I'm failing miserably at keeping these tears in. Maybe if I shut my eyes I can will these tears away. If I just shut my eyes and never open them it would be better for everyone. If I just…

Suddenly the bed dips and I realize someone must have heard me. "You can cry… it's… okay." It's Emma again. I do my best to straighten up. I cannot give in to these tears anymore especially not if there is going to be a witness to them.

I can feel her lay down behind me. "I just... I'm not going to leave you so... don't ask me to." She's hurting. I can hear it in her voice. Will I never stop hurting the people that I love? What she needs is for me to be strong but what she is asking for is for me to let go and fall apart. I… I can't do that but I can't let her feel bad along with me. I can't let her feel this pain but I'm not about to argue with her.

I roll over and move to hold on to her. If I hold on to her she'll stop talking. If I hold on to her I'll have something else to think about and I won't be able to let myself fall apart again. She's my daughter. She should not be the one trying to comfort me.

I can feel her reluctance to touch me but it's too late. I've already moved in on her and I might as well get comfortable. She's made it clear that I'm not going to get rid of her tonight.

I feel her finally wrap her arms around me and press her cheek to my head and I'll admit it feels nice but I still do not deserve this. She may feel she has reached me but I will be sure to put some distance between us in the morning.

**** So how about it? Did that go according to plan? **

**Thanks again for the reads, reviews, and follows. **

**I'm ready for Sunday! :) ****


	6. Chapter 6

****Well, I see an end to this story somewhere in the near future... just not today. I feel like I'm not quite done yet and because of the latest episode (Selfless, Brave, and True) I have things to mull over. **

**It was just weird how they tried to resolve everything in mere seconds (a quick hug here and a quick pep talk there). Just too weird but my story hasn't made it there yet so... back to it then.**

**I would also like to apologize in advance because I feel like this is a little repetitive but… I guess we'll see. ****

**Chapter 6**

Morning came and Mary Margaret was the first to wake up. She lifts her head from Emma's shoulder to look down at the sleeping woman. She had stuck by her last night for comfort but whether that was to give or receive it was anyone's guess.

She starts to move away to her own side of the bed but chances placing a kiss to her now sleeping daughter's cheek. She allows herself to smile at the sight of her before finally moving away. It was time to put that distance between them as she had planned to do before she fell asleep.

Her body becoming aware of the lack of warmth that had nestled against her shoulder during the night Emma stirs a moment later. She looks over and sees that once again Mary Margaret has separated herself trying to rebuild her wall of defenses. She can tell that the woman is no longer sleeping from the pattern in her breathing. She's breathing quite heavily so it only sufficed to say that once she woke up she was determined not to have any sort of conversation with Emma.

Emma lets out a sigh. "I know you're awake. Will you please just talk to me about all of this?" She is quietly pleading as to not wake David and Henry. "Mary Margaret? You can't let this beat you. This... this is something that you're going to have to live with. You'll carry this regret for the rest of your life but you have to face it first. You have to deal with it. You can't stay locked up in here forever. It's not over. You're not done." Her voice had grown a little louder with every sentence. She was trying hard to get a reaction now even if it might happen to be a reaction in defense. She needed something, anything, to reach this woman.

Yet again she was met with silence. When she had broke down yesterday she had inadvertently broke through the wall Mary Margaret had built up. Maybe that was the ticket. She needed to open up and let go so that Mary Margaret would break through once again and react. "Henry doesn't trust me anymore." She decides to pick up where she left off last time she tried to change the subject. "He thinks that everything I say to him is a lie now. He hates me. He hates me because I lied about who his father was. It was a really stupid idea but I honestly didn't think I'd ever see Neil again. I mean when Gold had me searching for his son the last thing I thought was it would end up being Neil." She was now purposely having an in depth conversation with herself aloud but she was speaking too frankly. The purpose here was for Mary Margaret to feel and react so she pressed on and tried to figure out what was really bothering her so she could talk it out.

Emma takes a deep breath and knows instantly where to take this one-sided conversation. "When we were in Manhattan the whole lie blew up in my face." She exhales sharply. "Gold broke into Neil's apartment. Neil showed up and got defensive. I got caught in three lies at the same time. Gold was upset that I lied about losing Neil after I chased him. Neil was pretty shocked that I didn't mention Henry earlier when we spoke at the bar and of course Henry... Henry was upset that I told him his birth father died a hero firefighter when obviously Neil is his father." Emma let's herself fall back to lay down on the bed beside Mary Margaret. "Do you know what he said to me... Henry? He told me that I'm just like Regina. That she was always lying to him. I became _exactly_ like the person he was trying to get away from all this time and now he hates me."

"He doesn't hate you." Mary Margaret whispers.

Stunned she almost forgets to respond. "Yeah? Well... it kind of feels that way." Emma adds after a quick recovery. "So much has happened in such a short amount of time. I don't even know how to..."

"Emma…" The brunette interrupts in a whisper. "I'm sorry. I just… I need to be alone. I know what you're trying to do but… I can't... Please?"

Emma sits up once again in the bed. She had not expected that. "Alright…" She says as she slowly gets up. "Alright" she says again as she makes her way toward the stairs to give the woman her space and there she sits quietly until David comes down a while later.

"Hey. You want some breakfast?" He offers as he tries to navigate around her on the stairs. She stands up and takes the few steps down to let him by but when he sees how sad she seems he reaches out to grasp at her arm and quietly asks, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah. I'm fine... just tired." She offers with a shrug and a defeated expression. "I'm not that hungry. I'll probably just have some cereal. Henry might want something. Is he awake?" She asks before standing on the first step.

"No. He's still asleep. I'm going to start on breakfast so if you change your mind let me know."

"Thanks." She says as she heads up. It is an unbearable journey as she makes her way up the stairs. To go from one bedroom where you're unwanted to another is just miserable this early in the morning. She pushes open the bedroom door and finds Henry sprawled out over the entire bed. She smiles at this but realizes as soon as she wakes him up he will not be as peaceful as he is right now.

She takes a moment to sit down on the bed and watch him as he sleeps. She looks up at the ceiling before letting out a sigh. Finally she reaches out to grasp his shoulder and give him a shake. "Henry? It's time to get up. Come on. David is making breakfast."

Just as she suspected his face gets nothing but serious and he remains quiet as he gets up from the bed to find a change of clothes. She does not attempt to talk to him knowing he will probably just brush off whatever she says so she does much of the same and moves quietly around the room gathering her things to get ready for the day.

It is a quiet morning as half of the apartment's inhabitants remained silent until David decides to try and convince Mary Margaret to eat some breakfast in bed. Emma watches his failed attempt and when she sees him dejectedly walking back to the kitchen she asks. "Anything?"

"She won't eat a bite." David replies.

**** Sorry to end that so abruptly but I didn't want to continue to quote what is in the episode and I could not find a way to end that gracefully.**

**Here we have FINALLY made it to the first of what we saw in "Welcome to Storybrooke".**

**I sort of have an idea of where to pick this back up but nothing is really solid yet. I'll work on that.**

**Thanks again for the reads, reviews, and follows. :) ****


	7. Chapter 7

**** Here is another ATTEMPT at a new chapter. I was a little lost :( but that's okay. I usually am when I start off. :)**

**Also... I'm sorry for any major mistakes this time around. I was a little unfocused but you should get the point I think. ****

**Chapter 7**

After Rumple comes by the apartment to warn of Regina's new quest to use a spell to get Henry back while simultaneously looking to exact her vengeance on Mary Margaret, everyone is quick to jump in to action.

Emma's first thought of course was getting Henry to safety but she knew there was little chance of him hearing her out so she enlisted the help of Neil. She managed to call ahead of time to ask for him to wait for them at Granny's. She also asked him to convince Henry to leave town with him so that he could not just spend time with him but also stay out of harm's way should Regina carry out some sort of attempt to get Mary Margaret's heart and enact that spell on Henry.

"Henry. Come on. Let's get out of here for a while alright?" She calls to him from the bottom of the stairs. He does not reply but she does hear him move around the room which meant he would make his way down. He hops down the stairs, grabs his coat off the hook, and puts it on still not saying a word to her. He does however say goodbye to David.

Emma internally sighs and rolls her eyes before meeting eyes with David who is waiting to send them off. He offers her a sad smile and a comforting pat on the back before he goes to grab the door for them.

"We'll be back." She says quietly to him.

"Alright…" He looks back over his shoulder to where Mary Margaret is in bed. "I'll be… here." He says to her with a shrug of his shoulders.

Henry walks down the hall and she turns back to David to whisper, "If you do get a word in edgewise… remind her that we miss her okay?"

"Of course," He says with a nod before shutting the door behind them swiftly pulling the lock over it.

He makes his way over to stand in the bedroom and look his wife over. He knew she was not going to talk to him today. It was evident the moment she turned away breakfast in the morning. She just wants to be left alone but he couldn't help but yearn to be close to her, to offer some comfort. She was his true love after all. You cannot be separated from your true love for long.

He sighs sadly and walks back out to the living room. Things were not going well right now and though he did manage to get some sleep during his sleep over with Henry he spent the other half of the night lying awake with worry.

It had been hard having Emma explain to Henry that Mary Margaret was partly responsible for the death of Cora. Henry's initial reaction was one that David shared. How could someone so pure of heart so easily turn to darkness? He didn't believe for one minute that she was now a vessel of pure evil but he also couldn't believe what she had done.

He remembered her argument days before when Johanna was murdered before their eyes. She questioned how making the "right" decisions all her life cost what she held most dear. While at the time the argument did make sense he never imagined it would lead to her actually being a part of ending someone's life and at the same time he somehow felt responsible for all of this.

It wasn't a need to be the hero and take responsibility. It was because when he first met Snow he knew instantly that she had goodness in her heart. When he fell in love with her and wanted her in his life he had given himself the task of keeping her on that path of goodness. He knew she would be a wonderful Queen as she was a natural born leader. When she almost seemed to lose herself in vengeance against Regina he brought her back to the light then. This time however he did not get to Snow in time.

If only he had been one step closer. If only they had gotten back to the shop in time to stop Regina, none of this would have happened. Regina would not have put her Mother's cursed heart back in her body and essentially killed her. They wouldn't have to be worried for Mary Margaret's safety right now. Though he is not sorry that evil witch of a woman was dead he wished it had been at anyone else's use of that black magic.

David is so caught up in his thoughts that the ring of his cell phone jolts him quite forcefully back to reality. "Hello?" He answers. It's Emma and she seems to be a bit frantic. "What's wrong?" He asks. "Alright I'll… I mean… I can't leave her here alone." He says frantically. "Gold?" He questions quite confused. "Okay. I'll wait for him then and head out with you to look for him."

He hangs up the phone and looks over at Mary Margaret who does not seem to be reacting to hearing his side of that panicked phone call.

Apparently Henry gave Emma and Neil the slip when they were at Granny's and they need help finding him. David could not simply get up and go without knowing that Mary Margaret was safe but Emma had already suggested Mr. Gold as a replacement to watch over her. While he did not inherently trust Gold he knew that their newfound kinship had to be of some consolation.

A swift knock on the door and Gold was there. David hurriedly ushers him in to the living room. "Please, watch over her. That is all I ask." David pleads.

"I will. Now go find young Henry before he runs in to trouble out there… for the sake of our _children_." He says emphasizing the word children so that David will realize that they do indeed have a common bond.

David looks over to where Mary Margaret is one last time before he heads out to catch up with Emma and Neil.

**** Oops, I think this was another filler Chapter. I was hoping not to do that again. :( I am almost certain thought that I can fix this. I have some plans for a pretty heavy Chapter and it'll be posted in a matter of time. ;)****


	8. Chapter 8

**** I guess everyone agreed that the last chapter was kind of terrible because no one left any reviews for it. -insert awkward laugh here - That's okay I didn't like it much either. ;)**

**While attempting to tackle this chapter the thought that came to mind was... "I guess I should just be consistently inconsistent and do another P.O.V. chapter". That's not a very true statement though.**

**The point of view storytelling just seems to work for this story since I started to use it in Chapter 2. All it took was that suggestion from 'ShinyGorram' and TADA I did it, but again it just really makes sense for this story. It is mostly about Snow White/Mary Margaret and we kind of need her to keep the story moving for us... so here it is. :) ****

**Chapter 8**

David came in to offer me breakfast. I do not think I can eat at all. I honestly don't think I will ever be able to eat again. My stomach is in knots and I feel so tired. I'm tired of trying. I'm tired of the guilt I am having to carry, the weight of it is unbearable. I just want this to be over. I don't want to feel this way anymore.

All I can think about is how easy it was to stand there and say to Regina, "Imagine what that love could be like?" I had given her such false hope. I took what she wanted most in that moment, the love of her Mother. I served it up to her on a silver platter all the while knowing that what I was doing was wrong. I took advantage of her and it was all too easy.

I could hear everyone talking in the kitchen this morning. Henry could not believe it when Emma said that I... that I was partly responsible for the death of Cora. Even saying that to myself is a hard pill to swallow. Henry was so adamant about it too. He wanted it to be a lie. He actually could have believed a lie like that the way he seems to think Emma is always lying to him now.

I could hear David trying to prevent this information from being shared with the boy but Emma... she's trying so hard not to lose Henry she's pushing to be more open with him. She's so wonderful in that way. She's the very essence of true love. I don't deserve to experience these heartwarming feelings I am feeling right now. I don't deserve the chance to smile at the thought of my family when I am completely responsible for someone else losing theirs.

I can hear David walking in to the bedroom. He's probably thinking he could be doing something more productive that babysitting me. I honestly wish he would leave me alone. It didn't take much to get Emma to leave but David is much harder to ward off. He isn't so easily defeated by silence the way Emma is. I just have to keep shutting him out until he gets the point.

David's cell phone goes off and I hear him muttering somewhat panicked but if I react to that now he'll probably take that as an invitation back in to my world. I can't back down.

From what I gather Henry has run off and Emma is asking David for help to find him. This might be exactly what I need, an excuse for him to leave me alone but I am very wrong about this.

Apparently David is waiting for Mr. Gold to come over. I suppose it will be much like a changing of the guards. If only I could disappear somewhere and finally be alone. That's all I want. I just want to be alone and never have to worry about hurting the people I love ever again.

A knock on the door and in comes Gold. I hear David mumble something to him but I don't make out what it is exactly and then he's gone.

He does not address me as he walks in to my bedroom. He takes a seat on the chair under the stairwell and sits there quietly allowing me my space.

I have no idea how this man lives with himself. The deals he's made, the messes, and all that chaos he has created in both our past and present lives. He's so good at being evil it sickens me. I cannot believe I let him talk me in to using that candle. I cannot believe I allowed him to talk me in to anything at all. I know who he is. I knew his wicked ways. I should have known better... but in the end the only person to blame is me. I made the choice to go ahead with that plan. I made the choice in sound mind to save him and let Cora fall so here he is, sitting in a chair, watching over me should Regina come to get me… or my heart rather.

I can't help but find this situation ridiculous. Rumplestiltskin, the man of tricks and treachery is here to defend me against Regina the Evil Queen. I guess it takes a snake to ward off another but now I find myself worthy of the same description but maybe monster is the better word to use here.

My back starts to hurt so I start to sit up. He only meets my eyes but still does not say a word to me. I am very grateful for that. I have nothing to say to this man. If I had the will to speak I would more than likely ask him to leave me alone but it would be a waste of breathe I'm sure.

Suddenly the door of the apartment bursts open. As my eyes move to the door with my peripheral vision I see Rumpel stand up and take a step toward the entry of my bedroom.

There she stands bitter and broken and clearly intent on coming at me. Is it odd that I feel a little relieved by this? Is it terrible that I hope Rumpel does nothing but stand aside and let her come at me to end this misery once and for all?

She's glaring at me like she has done on more than one occasion. She removes her glove in a sign that she wants to take my heart out with her bare hand so she may savor the moment. I can only think... let her.

She makes her way toward me only to find that Rumpel is here and had very much been expecting her. He stands in her way and says something snarky. I cannot even recollect what it is as I had blocked out everything to prepare myself for the end.

She moves to one side to stare me down and warn, "He can't be your guard dog forever." Then as swiftly as she made her way in she is gone and the knots that had left me in these few seconds are back. I feel so sick I could hurl. The end was so close I could taste it. I wish I could have called her back to say... end it now... but I missed my chance.

She leaves and Gold goes to shut the door behind her. He's sitting in the living room now perhaps to allow me some space to collect myself though I am feeling pretty void of any panic he thinks I might be having.

Rumpelstiltskin... such a vile man and yet here he is watching over me because we are now suddenly... _family_.

The phone rings and he goes to answer it. I can't help but wonder how a man like that can live with himself. How he can live with the things he has done. In all his treachery he continues to prosper. Even in this world he managed to be a step above everyone else.

"That was your husband." He says to me as he walks over to the bed where I sit. He explains how little Henry has convinced Regina to destroy that spell she was working on. Probably because she was not able to get my heart that she needed for the spell to work.

He is ready to make his way out the door but I cannot help but ask, "How do you do it?"

"Do what?" Is his confused reply.

"Live with yourself knowing all the bad things you have done?" I come out and ask.

He tells me that you tell yourself that you did the _right thing_ and if you say it often enough you might actually believe it to be true. He walks away and I hear the click of the door as it shuts behind him.

The right thing? No. I cannot lie to myself anymore. I can't do this anymore. I need this to end and because I am now alone I know instantly where I need to be.

I make my way to that ominous mansion. I knock as hard as I can manage and wait for her to answer the door. I can almost feel the hate she has towards me as she steps through the threshold and says in a growl, "You..."

Here I am guilt stricken and nearly broken. I practically grovel before her as I find the strength to finally confront her and all I can manage to whisper is... "Kill me."

**** I know I keep jumping around with the names. I can't help it. It gets confusing. Other than that I hope it hasn't been too terrible a story to keep up with.**

**I'm trying to figure out at what point to end this story because I would like to move on to something new but this is still a nice story to tell so thank you all for your reads and follows. :) ****


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

After finally tracking down Henry in the woods at the wishing well, after confronting Regina and making it a point to let her know she had not won this time, the walk back to the car felt like a very long journey.

Emma didn't know whether she wanted to scream at Henry or hold him close and cry with him in her arms. The fact that he had come to her first and not Neil gave her some comfort. She thought that after the small grudge he had been holding against her he would more than likely just walk away with David or Neil but he came right to her after he walked away from Regina at that well.

Most times this would mean nothing but things were different now. She wasn't just the woman who gave him up, now she was his mother and a small win like this was just the thing she needed to validate that, even if the boy still wasn't willing to talk to her at the moment.

As they walk on Henry runs up ahead to catch up with Neil. The man puts an arm over the boys shoulder as he comes around. Even after what just happened and all the worry he has caused, the boy still manages to smile lovingly at his father. "Incredible." Emma mutters under her breath.

"Emma?" David asks as he falls in to step beside her, "… you alright?"

"Yeah." She says but she shakes her head no.

David frowns at this but feels a need to make an effort here. He puts his arm around Emma and rubs her shoulder in a comforting gesture. Feeling all but defeated she leans in to him and returns the gesture with a sigh. "He'll come around Emma… just like Mary Margaret will. It's just going to take some time that's all."

"Yeah… I know." She says as they walk on to find Neil and Henry leaning on the car waiting on them.

The silence that settled over everyone in the car only caused the drive back to town to be quite a long one. Neil made the suggestion to keep Henry over for dinner and it takes every ounce of will power that Emma has not to fight that very suggestion. When she cannot muster the strength to speak to the pair politely it is David who gives his consent and they drop them off so that they themselves may head back home.

"Thanks for that back there… I… I didn't think I could answer them without being angry." Emma struggles to say.

"That's alright Emma. You're going through a lot right now. I think we can give Henry his space for now. Let's just hope Neil does a better job of reading Henry from now on." David says attempting to break the tension with a joke.

Emma laughs, "Yeah well he had about as much warning that he was a dad as I did when Henry came looking for me in Boston. I can't… I just can't even imagine life without him now." She smiles thoughtfully now.

"He's a great kid Emma, he really is, but then again so is my daughter." He says with a bright smile as he looks over at her to get her reaction. She only smiles shyly as they make their way back home.

David unlocks the door to the apartment and makes his way in to the bedroom but when he hurries back out as Emma just makes her way in she takes in the panicked expression on his face. "What? What is it?" She asks in a rush.

He doesn't get a chance to say anything because at that moment Mary Margaret walks in to the apartment.

The brunette does not make eye contact with her husband or daughter and simply moves across the room to the bathroom. She enters and shuts the door swiftly behind her.

Emma looks from that bathroom door to David's face. It is clear that this is what he meant to say. He meant to say that Mary Margaret was not in that bed. Where had she gone? Why did she leave without letting anyone know?

David rushes over in the direction of the bathroom, "David wait…" Emma says stopping him in his tracks. "Just… just wait a minute." She whispers as she moves closer to him and lowers her voice to a whisper. "She has barely said a word to anyone. You can't expect her to react well to anything you're about to say… especially if you're angry." She says as she grabs a firm hold of his wrist. "Just… calm down for a second. You need to breathe… and give her some space. Okay?" She says as she holds his gaze. "Alright?" She presses.

"Yeah you're… you're right." He says as he tries to compose himself. "I uh… I think I'll go for a walk."

She nods in understanding and runs her hand down his arm before he walks away to head out the door. She walks over to shut it behind him and then cannot seem to figure out what to do with herself for the moment so she stands in the middle of the living room and simply waits.

She does not wait long though as Mary Margaret comes out of the bathroom. She makes her way across the apartment passing the blonde up on the way to the bedroom and still she does not say a word. Regardless of the pep talk she just gave David about speaking in anger, Emma is not having this anymore.

"You think you can just walk back in here like nothing has happened?" She says as she takes on a somewhat defensive stance with her arms crossed over her chest as Mary Margaret comes to a halt in the bedroom. "I'm not going to ask you where you went but I'm not going to ignore the fact that you left this apartment without telling anyone either." She says in almost a growl.

Mary Margaret does not make the effort to turn around so Emma continues to speak to her in that harsh tone. "I don't know what is running through your mind right now and that's mostly because you aren't speaking to me so I just have to assume here that you are feeling… I don't know… helpless… but whatever you are feeling, regardless of how it might suck right now, you can't just do whatever the hell you want and expect us not to worry!"

The brunette then turns to move back to the bed which only makes Emma angrier. "Right… lie down in bed as if nothing happened! Go ahead! You just go on back to bed and pretend that nothing here matters alright? Just leave me standing here talking to myself. I'm fine with that but you know you can't go on like this forever!" She yells.

Emma trudges in to the bedroom. She is far from being done with this rant. "You think that the best course of action is not having one at all? Well it's not. I don't know what you want. I don't know what you need but I know I need you. We all do. So when you're done feeling sorry for yourself let me know okay? I am sick of the silent treatment. I expect it from Henry but I can't take it anymore… not coming from you." She says finally lowering her voice to a broken whisper.

Emma stands there a moment feeling as if this was a wasted effort. She turns and makes her way up the stairs to her own bedroom not even realizing that Mary Margaret had been reduced to tears.

**** I feel a lot better now that someone has finally yelled at Mary Margaret. ha ha.**

**Thank you for the reads, reviews, and follows. :) ****


	10. Chapter 10

****Hopefully this is the last Snow P.O.V. Chapter I write for this story because the end is near I can feel it. :) ****

**Chapter 10**

I stood on her porch and asked her, no, begged her to kill me and she practically laughed in my face. I was giving her the thing she had always wanted, the chance to end Snow White once and for all, but she wouldn't take it.

I went there for one reason. I wanted this all to end. I wanted to stop hurting my family. I didn't want them worrying about me anymore. I didn't want them to continue to waste their time trying to reach me. I was done but Regina had other plans.

She did threaten me and I had begun to feel hopeful that in one swift movement she would crush my heart as she held it in her hands but then the look on her face changed and the delight in her voice when she found that my heart had been stained with a blackness left me in more pain than before.

I tried to egg her on, to manipulate her like I had done before. I tried desperately to entice her with that chance to crush it to end my life but she saw right through that.

"… and put you out of your misery?" She questioned. I was naïve to think I could manipulate her again especially without any leverage to argue with.

I completely forgot who I was dealing with here, someone so evil, someone so adept at darkness. Why would she do this when it was exactly what I wanted? I was foolish to think otherwise.

I stayed there on her porch hoping my mere presence would make her angry enough to get her to change her mind but she did not come back out so I made my way back to the apartment.

It felt like I was gone for hours but then I've been so completely caught up in my own world here that minutes seem so long. As I walk in to the apartment building I see Emma down the hall just stepping in to our place. I don't feel like a confrontation right now so I take all but two seconds to form the idea in my head to get to that bed as quickly possible.

I pass Emma up and in my peripheral vision I see David standing in the living room. My plan is now effectively changed and I detour to the bathroom. They don't say anything to me which means I have caught them off guard but again I don't have the strength to argue right now so I shut myself in hoping that after a moment they will get the hint and leave.

I stare in the mirror and try not to cry but I can't help the way I feel right now. I had been so relieved when Regina opened her front door. I had been so sure that she would strike me down and this would all be over. Now I have to deal with this mess and I don't think I can. I can't go on like this. I'm stained with darkness now. Regina said that once you blacken your heart it only grows darker. I can't… I can't undo what I have done. I can't come back from this.

I hear Emma's voice but I cannot make out what she is saying. I am guessing they are waiting for me to come out, probably debating on whether or not to confront me. I truly hope they do not make the effort.

I listen still and hear the front door shut. It's quiet but I stay put a few more seconds to be certain that no one is out there. I hear nothing so I open the bathroom door.

I can't help but cringe slightly at the sight of Emma standing in the living room. Her back is to me so she can't see my expression which is good because my goal is the bed.

I know she hears me coming but she isn't making a move to turn around. I'm starting to feel confident then that she is just going to let me alone simply because I have been pushing her away so well already. I pass her up and walk in to my bedroom but then what she says stops me just short of my destination.

"You think you can just walk back in here like nothing has happened?" It's hard not to miss the venom in that statement. "I'm not going to ask you where you went but I'm not going to ignore the fact that you left this apartment without telling anyone either." It's a bit silly of her to think she can talk to me like I am a child but still I make no effort to indulge her.

"I don't know what is running through your mind right now and that's mostly because you aren't speaking to me so I just have to assume here that you are feeling… I don't know… helpless… but whatever you are feeling, regardless of how it might suck right now, you can't just do whatever the hell you want and expect us not to worry!" Yet again I am hurting the ones that I love and this time without even trying. Who knew this darkness could overtake me so quickly. I'll simply lie back down in the bed and she'll leave me alone I'm certain of it.

"Right… lie down in bed as if nothing happened! Go ahead! You just go on back to bed and pretend that nothing here matters alright? Just leave me standing here talking to myself. I'm fine with that but you know you can't go on like this forever!" She is yelling and quite ferociously at that. I feel a throbbing in my throat at the anger she is throwing my way.

I hear her make her way closer and I have to shut my eyes. I'm afraid of her right now. I'm afraid that she is about to break me in a way that I cannot handle and she proves me right.

"You think that the best course of action is not having one at all? Well it's not. I don't know what you want. I don't know what you need but I know I need you. We all do. So when you're done feeling sorry for yourself let me know okay? I am sick of the silent treatment. I expect it from Henry but I can't take it anymore… not coming from you." She struggles to say that last part and rightfully so. After all this pushing, after all this silence, I have finally wounded her deeply enough. It's gone too far but it's too late now and so as I hear her make her way up the stairs I do not even attempt to hold in my sobs, crying now with the guilt of finally having effectively pushed my own daughter away.

Regina said that I had darkened myself and that I would bring down my family. I have a feeling she may have been right…


	11. Chapter 11

****Okay so basically what I'm doing here is filling in some blanks. Also, I'll be crossing a fine line and taking some words from the episodes…. I'm not here to rewrite just add to. I hope this plays out the way I meant for you all to read it. I am grateful to those of you who have stuck around. :)****

**Chapter 11**

In the morning Emma wakes up to find that Henry had come in to the room last night without her noticing. He was still fast asleep.

She had gone straight to bed after leaving Mary Margaret in her bedroom. She let her have it. She was tired of trying to get through to her. What was the point if she would only be met with more silence? And here it was from Henry as she had now come to expect from him.

She was tired of everyone's silence. It was maddening. She was at least grateful that David was just as frustrated as she was with all of this.

Today Emma would be taking Henry over to see Neil again. It seemed to make the boy happy and these days she would do anything to get him to smile, even if it wasn't at her.

"Hey Henry… come on get up." She says as she nudges his arm.

"Okay." Henry mutters as he sits up and rubs his eyes. "I'm up."

"I'm gonna get ready so I can take you on over to see Neil okay?" She says to him as she gives him a weary glance. The boy only nods as he starts to get up from the bed. She watches him as he searches for his clothes. Was she wrong about this? Should she confront him and get this over with? It was one thing to get loud with Mary Margaret, a grown woman, but should she use the same ammo on her son? "_No. Better to leave him be for now otherwise it might get worse."_ He had already run off once and she didn't need a repeat of that.

After a morning shower and a change of clothes Emma slowly makes her way back down the stairs. She stops halfway when she sees that David is preparing a breakfast trey and keeps glancing over to Mary Margaret in the bedroom.

Here he is catering to her even with the silent treatment still in full effect. She was sick of this. She was sick of everyone going out of their way for someone who wasn't going to try anymore. "Breakfast in bed, seriously?"

"What happened has been really hard on Mary Margaret. The least we can do is make sure she's eating." He says defensively.

"I think it's time to give the hot cocoa and the foot massages a rest. It's time to haul her ass out of bed and get her to move past this." Emma can't help but let her anger get the best of her now and neither can David.

"That's a little harsh don't you think? She took Cora's life." He spits back just as angrily tossing the trey on the kitchen counter.

"Is everything okay?" Henry asks as he makes his way down the stairs giving some reprieve to the sudden tension in the room.

"Everything's fine kid get your coat. We're gonna be late" Emma says not wanting to argue with the boy. She turns to David now softening her features before she says in a low voice. "I know that you think she needs our help but at the end of the day she's the only one who can help herself."

The drive over to Gold's house was another quiet one and Emma does not make the effort. She had become quite worn out now trying to fight her way in to Henry and Mary Margaret's minds.

Once she pulls the car in to park Henry rushes out of the car, storybook in hand, and let's himself in right through the front door. It was amazing how comfortable he was letting himself get with this man.

She drags her feet to make her way in to the house trying to give Henry his space with his father. She walks in the house just in time to hear Neil sending Henry out for three hot cocoas from Granny's diner.

Not willing to stick around for more of the silent treatment from Henry Emma decides to excuse herself, "I'm gonna have to take a rain check on that. I need to get down to the station to take care of some things." But Neil does not relent.

He then explains to Emma how his fiancé went over to his storage unit to pick up some of her things. He also mentions that Hook was no longer in that storage unit. And if things could not get any worse Neil's fiancé Tamara was on her way to Storybrooke.

The idea of another outsider in town made Emma rather anxious. Perhaps a year ago she would not have cared but knowing what she knows now about the inhabitants of this now magical town she simply wanted to ensure everyone's safety for she was, after all, the "Savior" daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming.

Somehow Emma gets talked in to staying put so that she and Henry can both have a visit with Tamara as she is already in town. It is an all but uncomfortable situation for her. While it was easy for her to say she no longer had feelings for Neil, or that she does not care what he does with his life, at the back of her mind she will always have that little bit of resentment for anyone who is with him. That simply cannot be helped. He had been a big part of her life. You can't will away certain lingering feelings.

They share a nice breakfast of bagels, small talk, and stories before it is time for her and Henry to be on their way leaving Neil behind to explain his fairytale history to Tamara. "He's going to have fun explaining this to her." Emma laughs as Henry gets in the car.

"Not everyone is as skeptical as you." Henry says and it is a real sting coming from him in that condescending tone but Emma does not react to it. She does not need to get angry. Let him vent that's what children do. "_Let him be",_ she thinks to herself as she drives them both home.

A little while later Emma gets a call on her cell phone. She was completely shocked to see Mary Margaret's name on the display. She answers quickly, "Hey… is everything alright?"

"I need you to meet me at Granny's right away." The woman says quite urgently.

"Alright, I'll meet you there. Are… are you okay?" Emma finally thinks to ask.

"I'm fine, I'm fine… just wait for me. I'll be right over." The woman pleads before she hangs up.

This was a good thing she supposed. This meant she was out of the house. This meant she had gotten out of bed but then why the urgency. What has happened? She quickly made her way over to Granny's where she was sure to find out.

**** I have another chapter in the works. If all goes well it might be the last. :) ****


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

When Mary Margaret finally shows up at the diner she seemed to be fine. She didn't seem hurt but she was a bit frantic. Apparently she had found August when she was out in the woods, what she was doing out there Emma had failed to find out, but the fact that the woman was here changed a lot. This was progress, a reprieve from the silence.

She had practically given up hope that this woman would ever come out of her room and here she was, on a new quest, trying to find August so they could possibly help him turn from a wooden man to a human man again and get him a second chance.

A few interesting things were revealed along the way. Marco had come along for the search for his son and there were apparently some things he had been keeping from Mary Margaret that he felt he needed to share.

Marco's confessions came in the form of guilt. The guilt of sending a young Pinocchio through the wardrobe to accompany Emma to this world and charging him with her care was one thing. The other thing being that with the help of the Blue Fairy he had lied to Snow and Charming about the fact that the magic of the wardrobe could send two not just one.

The hurt in her voice at hearing this was evident, "I could have gone with her... with Emma?" She realizes and Emma's heart all but breaks but that was something of their past now. It simply could not be helped. It also did nothing to change the way Emma's stomach turned at hearing those words come out of her own Mother's mouth.

After all this silence she had been dealing with it gave her some sort of comfort to know that the old Mary Margaret was back, the Mary Margaret that had boundless love to give. Then something unexpected happened.

While Marco was desperate to apologize to Mary Margaret for his lie she slaps him clear across the face. Emma is completely shocked by this. _Where did that come from? _"Mary Margaret, what are you doing? He's apologizing!"

Mary Margaret is just as surprised. She looks at her hand as if it had a mind of its own. She tries to explain it away, "That wasn't me..." It's hard to interpret what that meant exactly but by then they had come across the old travel trailer that Mary Margaret had last seen August in. They search it and he is no longer there.

When Emma's cell phone rings again, she is surprised to see the call is coming from the sheriff's station, she is even more surprised at the voice on the other end. The call is frantic but this time it is August himself. He tries to tell Emma that something is going on. Something bad is happening but the call is cut off in an unnatural way.

The three of them hurry to the sheriff's station to try and find August but nothing prepares them for the sight they see. They find August, a now completely wooden man, and he has been hurt quit badly.

Marco rushes to his side, clearly distraught, and takes him up in to his arms to comfort him. Emma moves in closer to try and hear his whispered warnings but he is unable to finish his statement and so with his last breath the words he tries to say are left unshared and he seemingly dies in his father's arms.

But in a place where magic is now alive and well there always seems to be that small glimmer of hope that shines through right when everyone is ready to give up. Young Henry comes on to the scene with David and he realizes what it will take.

"Selfless, Brave, and True…" He mutters and again repeats as he looks up at Emma. She does not understand but is not able to give voice to her question as the Blue Fairy shows up.

She is the one who understands the words that come forth from Henry's lips. If in dying August was in fact acting in a way that was selfless, brave, and true she would be able to bring him back to life. With a wave of her wand Pinocchio is restored to his young self when he was first turned in to a real boy all those years ago.

So with magic the life of Pinocchio was restored and a father and son were reunited. At that moment Emma remembered the feeling, of course that was after all that anger and resentment she first expressed, but she remembered that relief at finally finding her parents, at realizing her friend was her mother. She searches the woman out and shares a smile with her. It doesn't take too much coaxing for her to get to her feet, make her way over, and get wrapped up in those welcoming arms.

They walk back to the apartment as a family. Henry walking beside David and Emma alongside Mary Margaret but before they can walk in to the apartment building with the boys Emma takes the brunette by the hand to keep her on the sidewalk outside. "About what I said…" Emma starts to say. "... last night when I…"

"Emma…" The woman says soothingly. "You don't need to explain." She says with a shake of her head.

"No… no, I want to tell you how sorry I am. I didn't mean to get so angry with you. I just didn't… I couldn't…" She can't seem to find the right words to say.

"Emma it's alright. I don't want you to apologize to me okay? I just… I want us to be okay." She says with a nod as she reaches out to grasp Emma firmly by the shoulders. "I want to move past this. I want to be better. I will be better with time." Emma smiles as she is enveloped in to yet another hug which she does not turn down in the least. "I know it took a lot out of you." Mary Margaret continues to say. "I didn't make it easy for you at all. I was being… selfish. I'm sorry. I was pushing you away Emma, but I'm glad you didn't give up on me... at least not completely." She sighs as she runs her hands up and down Emma's back.

"I'm glad you're back." Emma says not willing to let go quite yet. "I missed you." She whispers. They pull away from each other with unspent tears in their eyes. Emma clears her throat and lets out a gasp of a laugh as she meets eyes with the smiling woman before they both make their way in to the apartment building where Emma has one last obstacle to overcome.

The two women make their way through the door of the apartment. Mary Margaret moves to the bedroom with David and so Emma decides that now is her chance to get through to Henry. She stops herself from going up the stairs and calls him over to her. The boy reluctantly moves to her. "Henry, I promise that I will never lie to you again. Just don't push me away." She quietly pleads.

"I won't." He says and just like that it's over with a hug. She knew it wasn't really over, and it would take a lot to gain his trust, but for now she was content.

The silence that had filled the walls of this apartment for days was now broken by promises both spoken and inferred to do better.

****I know I had a reviewer that wanted me to go in to the whole David Mary Margaret scene but I couldn't figure out how to get there from here so I am very sorry about that. :(**

**I do hope this story was up to par :) I think this one is quite finished. I look forward to something new. My stories seem to be getting progressively longer and that is all thanks to your reviews.**

**Thank you once again for the all Reads, Follows, and Reviews. Any final thoughts would be greatly appreciated. :) ****


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